Oops. Apple’s done a boo-boo in Taiwan last week, when the company’s online store accidentally listed the all-new Mac mini at a price one-third the usual. Naturally, the deep discount (from NT$47,000 to an astonishingly good value NT$19,900) attracted plenty of attention, with numerous customers making orders (well, at that price?). But Apple — or so it seems — is welshing on the deal, and is said to have, “unilaterally changed their orders back to the original price of NT$47,000.” This is likely to lead the company into some trouble, with some customers muttering about launching lawsuits against the company to get the Mac they ordered at the offered price. The action may even bear some fruit. The Consumer Foundation in Taiwan reportedly says the company should fulfil the contract and deliver the goods at the price paid once an order is paid for. Apple hasn’t yet made any official comment on the matter. In 2009, Dell made errors in notebook prices and was eventually fined NT$1 million for failign to compensate consumers adequately. What’s the most likely outcome in my opinion? An apology and a discount for most Mac mini customers affected by the error, I suspect.
